Home
by littlebearcub
Summary: After the sudden departure of his friend, nineteen year old Jace endeavours to find a roommate. Clary, a first-year art student, needs a place to live while she studies. Initially they merely consider living together as a convenience, but it soon comes to light that they need each other for more than just company.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello! This is my attempt at a slightly lighter fic (although not everything will be fluffy and nice) so i hope you enjoy! This chapter's more of a filler as I need to lay some foundations down; more of the action kicks off in the second chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns everything but the plot**

* * *

 **Wanted: Roommate**

 **I own a two-bedroom penthouse flat in New York with my dog. Our old roommate moved on, so we're looking for a new one.**

 **You'll get your own bedroom (obviously) and shared bathroom facilities. You can take as long as you like because I'm really quick. Bedroom has double bed, mattress, desk, chair and wardrobe included. Anything else you'll have to provide because I'm poor and can barely keep myself and my dog going.**

 **As a nineteen year old male I'd ideally like you to be around my age and I'm not picky on gender. You'll have to pay half the rent as you'll own half the property (although the dog really owns the entire place because he's an asshole). You'll also be expected to take up some share of the chores as you're my roommate, not my master.**

 **If you're interested, please text me at the number listed at the bottom and we can arrange a time to meet and discuss things. If you meet my standards, you'll become my roommate.**

 **I look forward to hearing from you.**

* * *

Alec raised an incredulous eyebrow as he spun round in the blue desk chair, holding his hands in front of his face like he was about to start praying. "What the hell was _that_?" he breathed, his gaze flitting upwards.

"That, my dear friend, was my advertisement," Jace informed him. "I tried to be funny and friendly to attract people."

"There's a fine line between being funny and simply being an asshole. You're more on the latter end of the spectrum," Alec grumbled, clearly not amused in the slightest. "I should've checked this over before you posted it. I don't have much faith in you reaching any sort of agreement with an advert like that."

Rather than replying, Jace just rolled his eyes and sighed. Sure, Alec was his best friend and he trusted his judgement, but he was fiercely maternal despite the one year age gap between them. If anyone asked Jace to meet his parents, he was more likely to just introduce them to his best friend as opposed to making the six hour flight across the country to visit his parents in Los Angeles. Alec had always been the one keeping tabs on Jace; he'd been the one who convinced him to find a new roommate.

"We'll just have to see, won't we?" Jace pointed out, gifting his best friend with his trademark smirk. "Besides, I think some people can look past the advert if they look at the place."

"They also have to consider _you_ , Jace. You'll be their roommate for the foreseeable future; they won't want to live with someone they don't like." The ink-haired man chewed his fingernails absentmindedly; a trait Jace knew he used to mask his anxiety.

Before Jace could open his mouth to reply, the two were interrupted by the rapid pitter-patter of tiny paws across the wooden floor. They both recognised the sound; _anyone_ who had ever stepped foot in Jace's apartment knew it all too well. Regardless of whatever mood he was in, Jace felt reassured in knowing his dog was still around.

Once the little dog trotted in, Alec let out a long intake of air. "Here's the dog causing all the problems." he remarked, his voice mingled with both humour and annoyance.

Jace frowned, scooping up his beloved companion in his arms which released a short chorus of yaps. "You leave Harley out of this."

Harley - a black and tan Jack Russell with jet-black eyes - had lived in the apartment for about six months. He'd belonged to Jace's former roommate, but since he'd gone Harley now looked solely to Jace. He was certainly a tiny dog, but he was fiercely loyal and filled with so much adoration for his owner that nobody doubted his abilities. Jace knew that the real test wouldn't be earning his trust; it would be getting Harley to like them.

"Anyway, I'm going to head off," Alec rose slowly to his feet and eyed the terrier squirming in Jace's grip for a moment. "Call me if you need anything."

Jace rolled his eyes with a scoff. "I'm a big boy, I can look after myself." he insisted, treading out of his room and into the main room of the flat.

Rather than making a detrimental comment, the lithe young man merely let himself out and closed the door gently behind him, leaving Jace alone in the house with Harley still adamant to escape from his arms. The golden haired boy chuckled mildly, holding the terrier close to his chest like a mother with her child. "It's just again tonight pal. Hopefully won't be that way much longer."

In spite of Alec's scrutiny of his advert, Jace's faith in finding a roommate hadn't faltered. After all, his apartment - his little corner of the world - was a truly beautiful place. If heaven was a place on earth, it would easily be in his home.

Carefully placing Harley down, Jace shuffled over to the kitchen area and crouched down in front of one of the black cabinets underneath the countertop. He opened the door and grabbed a red can, tapping it lightly on the side and whistling. "Time for your dinner, Harley!" he called.

Once he heard the joyous scamper, the golden haired boy proceeded to move over to the metal food bowl and pulled back the lid of the can, tipping its contents into the bowl with a plop. Jace scrunched his nose up in disgust as he caught a whiff of it, but Harley immediately started devouring it like there was no tomorrow. As long as it was edible, the dog would eat it.

While his four-legged friend got through his meal, Jace absentmindedly reached in his back pocket for his mobile phone. _No messages yet... how am I supposed to pass the time waiting for someone?_

Fortunately for him, he knew _exactly_ how to pass the time.

Pulling up his contacts, he jammed a few buttons before raising his phone to his ear, hoping and praying it would pick up. A slightly groggy voice answered him on the fourth ring. "Hello?"

"Hi Kaelie, it's Jace," he replied coolly. "Are you free tonight?"

* * *

In the space of an hour, Jace's room had been turned into a bombsite. Clothes littered his floor - his grey t-shirt and black jeans were strewn across his chair while Kaelie's skimpy gold dress lay at the foot of his double bed - and his bed had simply turned into a tangle of bedsheets and bodies.

Kaelie drew her long red acrylic nails across Jace's chest lightly, tracing patterns on his tanned skin as she took a deep breath. "I've missed you." she declared.

Jace just rolled his eyes. He and Kaelie had never embarked on any sort of relationship seeing as they only met for casual hookups, but she treated it like they were dating. Every time they spent the night together, Kaelie would brag to anyone who would listen. Sure, she was fun, but frankly Jace couldn't stand her.

The nimble young woman suddenly flipped herself up, straddling his hips between her knees. She was certainly a royal pain in the ass, but Jace had to admit that she wasn't dreadful to look at. Pale blonde waves crashed down to the middle of her back, though her hair was so pale it nearly looked the same colour as her skin in the moonlight. Her eyes were equally lacking brightness, for they were a milky blue. Everything about her was just... pale (although at the moment she was wearing a lacy red bra with matching underwear which definitely made her stand out to Jace).

Kaelie had just dipped her head to press her lips to his neck when there was a sudden ding coming from the main room. Knowing that it was his phone - and potentially a person interested in moving in to his humble home - Jace pushed the girl off him and stood up with a start. He ignored her unimpressed screech as he stumbled into the main living area towards the wooden coffee table to pick up his phone. His heart fluttered a little once he realised he'd received a text from an unknown number.

 _Hi - I saw your advert about you looking for a roommate and I'd love to meet you about it! Could we go for coffee or something tomorrow?_

Jace couldn't stop the grin spreading across his face as he swiftly keyed in a reply.

 **Coffee sounds great. Do you know Java Jones?**

 _Good taste, we'll get along just fine :)_

A pair of warm arms wrapped around his upper chest as Kaelie pressed her body against his back; Jace could tell she was completely topless now and he was definitely enjoying it, but he didn't want to tear his attention away from his mysterious texter. Besides, he could have other evenings getting busy. He couldn't lose this chance.

 **I get on pretty well with everyone to be fair ;) can you meet me at 11am? I'll be the handsome stranger in the far corner on the sofas.**

Clearly too impatient to wait for him to finish, the lithe girl rotated herself round and pulled herself up so she was standing in his outstretched arms, blocking the view of his phone. "What could possibly be more exciting than me?" she queried, her voice taking on a slightly icy tone.

"I'm trying to find another roommate. We're setting up a meeting " Jace explained with a shrug.

Kaelie stood up on her tip toes, winding her slender arms around his neck. "Can't it wait?" she murmured in a seductive voice, placing a soft but long kiss behind his left ear which sent a shiver down his spine. "I won't wait forever."

His instincts caught up with him as he swallowed the site of the woman who stood before him, forcing him to drop his phone as he placed his hands on her slim hips. "Perhaps it can." he decided, pulling her to him as their lips collided. The intensity of it grew like a fire as Jace seized her up to wrap her legs around his waist, while Kaelie dragged her nails up his back. The sudden fire overwhelmed Jace immensely, so he took her back into his room with the intention of carrying on what they'd started.

As a result of the situation, he missed the reply from his potential roommate.

 _I'll see you there! :)_

* * *

 **I hope that was an okayish first chapter; the real story begins from the next chapter! Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the reviews, but for now, welcome to Home... :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for you patience for the second chapter! I'm trying to balance this and my other fic (Wishing On Stars) as well as school/work/uni applications/life so admittedly I don't have as much time as I used to. My aim is to take turns updating each, though I'm nearly finished finished with WOS so in a few weeks I should be completely dedicated to this unless I have any more wild ideas ;)**

 **This isn't the most exciting chapter in the world but we get to meet our second main character!**

* * *

Rolling over to his side, Jace shrugged off Kaelie's arm from his waist and cast a glance over his bedside table. His clock read 10:18; far later than he usually slept in till, but it was too late to rectify any damage now.

However, it wasn't long before he realised there was some damage.

 _I'm supposed to be meeting a potential roommate in forty minutes... shit._

Fuelled by a sudden sense of urgency, Jace sprang out of bed with the grace of a cat and hobbled out of his bedroom into the bathroom. Compared to the rest of the apartment it was somewhat underwhelming, but Jace didn't have the money nor the patience to do it up. With dirty white walls and a black tiled floor, it was more like a kitchen than a bathroom.

Once the shower heated up, he leapt in and let out a sigh as the hot water fell onto him, cleansing his body of the sin he'd committed last night. If Jordan was still here, he would've scolded him; he'd never liked Kaelie.

 _Stop. He's not here anymore._

Once he'd washed his hair, Jace grabbed his grey towel and wrapped it around his hips, shaking his head to free the warm droplets that clung to the golden ringlets of his hair. On his return, Kaelie was sat upright in his bed, running a hand through her messy hair. "What are you doing?" she grumbled, clearly unhappy about being woken up.

"You have to leave." The words tumbled out of Jace's mouth before he could stop himself.

Her face was masked with incredulity. "I'm sorry?"

"I have a meeting," he amended himself. "Last night was fun, but this is important."

Rather than replying, Kaelie scoffed and crawled out of bed, gathering up her clothes and shooting Jace an icy blue glare. "I'll get changed and let myself out." she spat.

Jace merely shrugged as she left. He wasn't too bothered about what she thought.

* * *

After throwing on black skinny jeans and a blue acid wash t-shirt, Jace had made it to Java Jones with exactly three minutes to spare. In fact, he'd even had enough time to order a cappuccino and two chocolate muffins; one for him, one for his illusive guest.

Although their relationship wasn't certain yet, Jace had a strange feeling of hope blooming inside of him like a newly formed flower. Granted, he didn't have any indication into who they were or what they were like, but there was something in the air that was filling him with a peculiar optimism. He just hoped that his guest would live up to his expectations.

Taking a swig of his coffee, he lifted his free hand to glance at his watch. 11:01. They _had_ to be here now, surely? They weren't wasting his time, surely?

"Are you Jace?"

 _Thank the Angel for that!_

Jace lifted his head in the direction of the voice and was greeted by a pair of emerald green eyes. Fiery curls tumbled down her back and in front of her shoulders, contrasting against her deathly pale skin. Although she spoke with the maturity of a young adult, she stood at the height of a child, which humoured Jace somewhat as he nodded in response to her question. "The one and only." he replied, gesturing for her to sit down with one hand.

"I'm Clary," she informed him with a polite smile. "Clary Fray."

"You may as well tell me a bit about yourself," Jace decided. "I've gotta make sure you're not a psycho murderer out for my blood."

She let out a sweet, soft laugh that produced a comforting aura. "If I'm honest, there isn't much to know about me. I'm an eighteen year old freshman at NYU - I'm doing Art - and I waitress in a restaurant on the side."

"So what brings you here this morning?" Jace pressed further. "Why have you agreed to meet me?"

"I live an hour outside of the city and I have to take the train to actually get to university. As well as being expensive, it's tiring me out and I'm not even three weeks into my course yet; I can't keep it up," she explained. "My mom suggested I looked at living in New York, but I don't know anyone well enough to stay with. Your apartment is close to NYU and you seemed nice enough in your ad, so I thought I'd meet you and hopefully move in with you."

 _And Alec criticised my advert? Take that!_ "Whereabouts do you live?"

"I'm near Bensonhurst Park in Brooklyn. It's nice enough, but I can't stay there," Clary moved one hand up towards her face to push a curl back behind her ear. "So, what do you do for a living then?"

Jace drank more coffee as he prepared his answer. "I don't really do anything at the moment. I dabbled in modelling but that didn't work out so I'm just floating."

"Floating?" Clary repeated in puzzlement, cocking an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, just the usual; I'm currently leading a double life as a hardcore drug dealer to pay the rent." On seeing the colour drain from her face, Jace smirked and corrected his answer. "I just do a few odd jobs here and there. It's usually dog walking, but I'll do just about anything for the right price."

They easily kept up a lively conversation for nearly an entire hour. As it turned out, Jace didn't actually have any problems with Clary so far. He hadn't been sure what to expect from her initially, but she had shown herself to be sensible and driven; she was the sort of girl his parents would like. She _certainly_ wouldn't cause him any hassle.

Once their conversation reached a close, Jace rose from his seat and offered her a hand to get up. "Would you like to come back and see the apartment? You'll get the pleasure of meeting my asshole dog as well." he offered.

The little redhead grinned, excitement dancing in her vibrant green eyes as she graciously took his free hand. "That sounds awesome."

* * *

After an uneventful short drive back and a ride in the lift, the two strangers stood in front of the tall black door. Jace fumbled around with a bunch of keys before placing one into the lock, smiling as he heard Harley scamper across the wooden floor tiles to greet him. Before opening the door, he glanced back over his shoulder at Clary. "He's a bit excitable." he warned her briefly.

Naturally, Harley was true to his word and leapt up at Jace, yapping joyously as his owner bent down to vigorously ruffle his head. "It's almost like you missed me!" he gasped in mock surprise.

Once he'd completed his usual greetings, it wasn't long before Harley clocked the stranger Jace had brought back. Tentatively, he moved closer to Clary and gave her a curious sniff, which in turn concerned her momentarily. "What's he doing?" she asked, swallowing a lump in her throat.

"He's deciding whether to bite your face off or not," Jace told her casually. "'He' is called Harley, by the way."

Clary's freckled face softened as she crouched down, holding a slim hand out to the dog. "Heya, little guy." she cooed gently, her voice matching one she'd probably use to talk to a young child.

Although Jace felt she was being a little patronising, Harley fell for it and licked her hand after a few agonising seconds. Clary giggled away and reached out to stroke him, to which the black and tan terrier then allowed her to pick him up and hug him to her chest. Jace's jaw slacked and dropped to the ground. "As _if_ he left you do _that_!" he exclaimed with a splutter. "You must be pretty special; I'm the only one who he'll usually let pick him up, and that took me _ages_."

"He's the sweetest little boy!" Clary gushed, laughing as he lovingly attacked her cheek with multiple licks.

The golden haired man turned away to open the door fully and ushered her in from the corridor, closing the door behind her with ease. "Welcome to my home." he mused.

His apartment was quite sizeable and that was evident from initially stepping inside. Most of his flat was open plan - the kitchen, dining area, living area and music area were rolled into the main room - while there were individual doors leading off to the study, the bathroom and the two bedrooms.

"Wowza," Clary gasped, her eyes trailing towards another door hidden behind long white curtains near where the grand piano sat. "Have you got a balcony as well?"

Jace's lips curled upward into a smile. "I hang the washing out there."

As Clary took a few hesitant steps around her potential home with Harley calmly in her arms, Jace took the opportunity to observe her closer. When she'd sat down in Java Jones, he'd initially clocked the fact that she hadn't caked her face in makeup at all; she only wore very subtle mascara. As a result, the bridge of her nose and cheeks were dotted by a galaxy of freckles. If she hadn't mentioned her student status, Jace would've assumed she was about thirteen as opposed to eighteen, and her height certainly added to that idea. Although she had dark chestnut ankle boots with a chunky heel, they didn't aid her in the slightest. Decked out in a very dark green blouse tucked into a black skater skirt with black tights, she certainly gave off the impression of being cute. Jace hadn't expected to associate with a girl like her, let alone hit it off so well with her.

Once she'd cast a critical green eye over his apartment, she turned back to him with a beaming face. "Could I see my room?" she queried.

"Sure," Jace crossed over to the right side of the flat to a little 'C'-shaped clearing in the middle of the wall. Here, there were three doors; Jace's bedroom was on the left, the bathroom was in the middle and the spare bedroom was on the right. Turning the handle, he shouldered the door lightly open and ushered Clary inside. "It's not much at the moment, but it'll look a bit better when there's actually stuff inside."

After Jordan left, his roommate had taken it upon himself to erase any trace of him ever living there. He'd stripped the room and sold what things he could. With the bare necessities remaining and recently painted white walls, the room gave off prison cell vibes rather than bedroom. The only positive thing was that it was kept clean and there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere.

"I could work with this," Clary expressed aloud, tracing her slim pale fingers along the wooden bed frame. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

Jace's mind wandered back to her earlier question. "I should probably show you where I hang the washing out for future reference," he concluded, plodding out of the bedroom and not . "You might want to put Harley down; he isn't too keen on heights."

Once he heard the terrier let out a little whimper as he was gently put down, Jace led Clary towards the curtains and disappeared behind them. _She has no idea what's coming._ he told himself with a grin, turning a little metal key and sliding open one glass door. He then proceeded to turn back and dramatically throw open the curtains, exposing his secret. "And volia!"

"Holy shit!" Jace was taken aback but Clary suddenly swearing, but he played it off with a trademark smirk. "My laundry isn't _that_ shocking. I haven't even got my leather pants out-"

"You own an entire _roof_ and didn't think to mention it?"

If they went out through the glass doors, they'd be standing about sixty feet off the ground. There was a flat concrete roof there that was eight metres long and a further ten metres wide, surrounded by a wall that was roughly a foot wide. Jace had utilized the area to create two long washing lines, but Clary's mouth had gaped open like she'd just seen Jesus. "This is _amazing_ ," she exclaimed, whipping her head round to face Jace. "Your flat is lovely. I'm jealous that you've lived here for so long."

"Well, the offer's on the table if you'd like to take it," Jace informed her, surprising himself as his voice took on a slightly softer side. "You'd be a very welcome addition here."

Clary was grinning ear to ear. "You've got a deal, roomie."

* * *

 **So now they're moving in! Time will tell how Clary will impact on Jace's life...**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's the third chapter of Home! Please do enjoy! :)**

 **Also fun fact I forgot to mention last chapter: Jace's apartment is loosely based on the Barnum's New York apartment in The Greatest Showman. I was jealous of the roof space they had and wanted to incorporate it into a story...**

* * *

 _one week later_

 _..._

For Jace, waking up to the smell of food was certainly one he wasn't used to. It almost startled him initially, but then he remembered - with a fond smile to himself - that he had no reason to worry.

Stumbling out of his bedroom in a grey t-shirt and black shorts, he leant against the wall in hope that she hadn't heard, but his new roommate had spotted him from the kitchen and waved wildly at him like an excitable child. "Morning!" she called. "I thought I'd make breakfast to celebrate our first official day together as roomies. Do you like eggs?"

"I'll eat anything that isn't my friend Isabelle's cooking." Jace replied with a snicker.

Isabelle was Alec's younger sister and one of Jace's closest friends. An upcoming fashion designer, she was making waves in the world of fashion and quickly becoming one of the hottest topics internationally. She sometimes did commissions, but presently she was preoccupied with releasing a new line.

As Clary started serving up fried eggs, Jace plodded out into the open and was taken aback by the sight he saw. She was donning a slightly oversized white button-up shirt with thin blue vertical stripes and nothing else. It just covered two inches past her butt, exposing her slender milky white legs. She definitely had a nice figure; Jace was surprised how he'd never noticed it before.

 _Dude, you've known this girl for a week. Pull yourself together._

"How do you take your coffee?" she queried, turning away towards the multitude of cabinets that lived in the kitchen area.

The question snapped Jace out of his reverie. "White with two sugars."

While his petite roommate busied herself with making coffee, Jace took the two plates of eggs with toast and placed them down on the wooden dining table. Harley had occupied himself with chewing a toy rope under the table, but as soon as his owner appeared he leapt to his paws and affectionately headbutted his bare calf. Once the plates were safely out of harm's way, Jace crouched down and scratched behind his ears. "Hiya, boy."

"We're gonna have to go grocery shopping. You haven't got a lot in your cupboards," Clary announced, plodding over with two mugs of steaming coffee. "I think you have more dog food than actual human food."

"Don't underestimate Harley; he probably eats more than me," Jace replied with a dry laugh, taking a bite of the egg. "Do you cook eggs for a living or something? These are _amazing_."

Her cheeks became tinted with pink. "Thanks."

They ate in a harmonious silence - except Harley furiously chewing the rope a few feet away - until they both finished, when Clary glanced over at Jace and ran a freckled hand through her messy red locks. "Should we go shopping this morning? I've got a shift tonight."

"I suppose I can take time out of my _very_ busy schedule for you," he told her sweetly, ignoring her eye roll. "I'll feed Harley if you want to use the bathroom first?"

"Sure."

As Clary disappeared into the bathroom, Jace cleaned up the breakfast things and rinsed them out before topping up Harley's food and water bowls. Naturally, he was easily pleased with his meal and wolfed it down, so his golden haired owner left him to it. What sort of monster would he be to disturb his dog eating?

Within fifteen minutes, both of them were ready to go - Jace in a black t-shirt and denim shorts with white Vans, Clary in short light blue dungarees with a pastel purple t-shirt, white Converses and her hair in a messy bun on top of her head with a pencil through it - and sitting in Jace's black convertible car. He rose an eyebrow at her hair accessory. "Are you planning to use that as a weapon?"

"I always try to carry a pencil or pen with me. My mom does it all the time," Clary explained. "You never know when you need one."

Jace just shrugged as he started the car, flicking a switch to put the roof down. His companion suddenly squealed with delight and turned the radio up, taking Jace aback as _I Need Your Love_ by Ellie Goulding and Calvin Harris started blasting across the apartment car park. " _What_ are you doing?"

"I _love_ this song!" Clary exclaimed, dancing along in her seat.

Jace scoffed as he started driving, but internally his heart stung. The little redhead wasn't to blame - she wouldn't have known anything - but Jordan used to do the exact same thing. If he liked the song, he'd turn it up as high as it would go and sing along (though by 'singing' it was more like caterwauling) while dancing. Jace thought he was a bit of an idiot whenever he did it, but it didn't bother him in the slightest; if anything, it was comforting to have a constant reminder of his friend's presence.

Shaking off the bittersweet memories, the road ahead regained his undivided attention. Clary was still absorbed in the music, the warm late summer breeze flowing past her like a babbling brook. She was evidently content with life presently and that pleased Jace to know she was feeling like that.

After a short drive, they'd arrived at the local supermarket, so Jace rolled the roof back up while Clary turned the music down to a respectable volume. They both got out of the car simultaneously and headed inside, with Jace grabbing a trolley. "Seeing as you raided my fridge and cupboards, what do we need?" he questioned jokingly.

Clary chewed her lip thoughtfully. "We can start with fresh food and work our way up from there. I also need a few non-food bits but I'll grab those on the way round."

With a simple nod, Jace led the way towards the vegetable aisle, but they were suddenly interrupted by a scream of "Uncle Jace!"

A young girl no older than six charged up the aisle, her black hair fluttering behind her like a kite as she wrapped her arms tightly around Jace's waist. He ruffled her hair affectionately. "Hiya, squirt. You're getting big, aren't you?"

She pulled away with an enthusiastic nod, twirling around to show off her floral dress.

"Elizabeth Lightwood-Bane!"

"Here comes the cavalry," Jace sighed with a roll of his golden eyes, turning to a bemused Clary. "Brace yourself."

The little girl giggled as a tall Indonesian man hurried over, a relieved expression on his face. "I was going out of my _mind_ when you ran off! Don't do that to me!" he exclaimed before turning to Jace with a grin. "How's it going, Jace?"

"As adequate as I can be, thanks," the golden haired boy responded a little drily; his friend _knew_ things had been rough over the last few months. "I don't suppose Alec's with you at all?"

The man beamed on the mention of Alec's name. "Why, of _course_ he is! There he is now!"

Alec suddenly appeared with his respective trolley, but his baby blue eyes were instantly drawn to Clary. "Care to introduce us?" he queried, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"Ah yes," Jace beckoned his flatmate forward. "Guys, this is Clary Fray. She's my new roommate. Clary, this is my best friend Alec Lightwood, his fiancé Magnus Bane, and their foster daughter Eliza."

Alec seemed impressed and held out his hand to Clary. "It's nice to meet you, Clary," he said politely. "How long have you been living with Jace? He hasn't mentioned you to me."

"Today's our first official day together, but we settled an agreement a week ago." Clary explained.

Magnus' jaw dropped. "Jace, _please_ tell me you're doing _something_ to celebrate this momentous occasion!" he gasped.

Jace's face became masked by a puzzled expression. "Is that a thing?"

"Of course!" Magnus was horrified. "This won't do at all! I _insist_ that you join us for dinner this evening; we'll invite Isabelle too as I'm certain she'd love to meet this girl."

"Clary has work this evening-"

"I do, but how would you feel about lunch?" Clary cut in with a simpering smile. "I'd love to get to know you."

"That sounds _even_ better," Magnus agreed, grinning. "Once you two finish your shopping, come straight to ours. We'll do fajitas!"

"Sweet! See you later!"

After the two roommates waved farewell to their eccentric counterparts, Jace heaved a large sigh. "I wanted to introduce you in gradually because my friends are a little..." He struggled to find an appropriate word. "...different."

Clary put a hand on her hip and gave him a long look, pursing her lips slightly. "I'm sure I can handle it." she insisted.

They carried on shopping and - as mundane of a task as it was - Jace was actually enjoying himself. There was something sweet and companionable in spending this time with his roommate; it was something he hadn't anticipated feeling. They'd barely known each other, but nonetheless he appreciated her company.

"So, do you play the piano?" Clary suddenly asked, reaching up to grab a bag of sugar.

"Gosh, how did you come to that conclusion? Did the grand piano in my flat give away my secret?" Jace gasped mockingly, wincing when Clary bashed his shoulder with the sugar bag. "Damn girl, you've probably bruised me. No girl will want me now."

"I'm sure they'll be able to appreciate your enormous ego." she replied, her voice dripping sarcasm.

He smiled sweetly at her. "Usually my ego isn't the thing that gets described as enormous, dearest Clary."

The tiny redhead gave him a seething glare. "You are _insufferable_."

"I'm flattered by your suggestion, but I was actually talking about my biceps," Jace continued, successfully maintaining his innocent demeanour. "Girls _swoon_ at the sight of this hot bod."

"I don't think I've ever felt remotely faint in your presence," Clary replied flatly, sauntering off. "I'm going to grab some personal bits. Don't wander off too far."

Jace pouted at her. "I'm a big boy."

Once she skirted the corner of the aisle, Jace felt his phone buzz with a text alert in his back pocket. He pulled it out and unlocked it, groaning internally when he saw Kaelie was the texter in question.

 **Hey babe, are you free rn? X**

 _No, I'm at the grocery store._

 **Pleaaaaseeeee? I'll make it worth your while ;) xx**

 _I'm busy today. Rain check?_

 **Suit yourself** **then**

Jace knew he'd annoyed her, but frankly that was the last of his worries. He had better things to do than fool around with her.

Pushing the trolley around awkwardly by himself, he dawdled aimlessly in the pastry section and put a pack of chocolate doughnuts in the cart when Clary threw some things in and buried her head in his shoulder, breathing heavily. Jace snorted in amusement. "Feeling faint?"

When Clary looked up at him with a frantic expression, Jace realised this wasn't a funny situation. "Can I ask you a weird favour?" she asked lightly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Blow me away."

"Can you pretend to be my boyfriend for a few minutes? There's a weird guy checking me out and I'm hoping he'll leave me alone if he thinks I'm unavailable."

Jace was utterly confused, but he complied and draped an arm over her shoulders. "Can I just knock him out? It's _far_ less effort." he whined.

"I assumed you would've jumped at the chance to get this close to a girl," Clary remarked with narrowed eyes. "Believe me, I'd rather fake date Magnus than you, but you're the only one around."

"Suddenly my ego doesn't seem so enormous." Jace muttered under his breath, pushing the trolley with his free hand while keeping his other arm around Clary as they headed towards the checkout. Her skin was surprisingly soft under his touch; he was almost tempted to run his fingertips along it, but he knew she'd disapprove in spite of being in a fake relationship. Equally, he knew it would all be over in a few minutes.

After attending the checkout and exiting the shop with a few full bags, Clary turned to Jace with a grateful expression. "Thanks for doing that. I know it was reaaaaally weird, but I appreciated it."

"In future, I'll just beat them up." Jace replied, dropping a playful wink.

Clary held a hand over her heart. "You flatter me, Jace Herondale." she gasped.

"You're saving me a ton of money by living with me, so I'd prefer to keep you in my life if possible."

She rolled her eyes at him with a heavy sigh, which made him smirk to himself. _This should be fun._

* * *

 **We'll find out a bit more about Jace's 'different' friends next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in this update! Had a bit of writer's block and I've been a little preoccupied as of late.**

 **Thank you all so much for the lovely feedback I got last chapter! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far and that I'm doing a good job :) I really like writing this fic so I'm relieved there's somebody out there reading!**

 **I'm going to trial something over the next few chapters. For every person that takes the time to write a review, I'll send you a little preview of the next chapter. This might take a little time if I'm juggling multiple fics, but I'll endeavour to send you all something as a little thank you for your opinions as I value them dearly. As of today I'll be starting this; if it works out okay I'll keep it up! :)**

* * *

The ride home had almost mirrored the initial drive to the supermarket. Jace had calmly driven, Clary had danced in her seat like nobody was watching. It was a happy enough medium; one that Jace could grow to get used to.

Pulling up in his usual parking space, he turned off the ignition and clambered out, opening the boot up to retrieve the shopping bags. When Clary joined him, he handed her a bag with a smirk. "That's probably the lightest one." he told her.

Emerald eyes burned into his soul. "I can take a heavy bag!" she insisted with a whine.

Jace shrugged. "I was only trying to help you, but whatever," he replied coolly. "Here's an _extra_ heavy one."

As he predicted, Clary nearly toppled over with the weight of the bag; she would've fallen flat on her face if Jace hadn't been there to steady her. He smirked at her flustered expression. "You good?"

"Fine," she grumbled, picking up the lighter bag. "Let's go and sort these out."

With suitable bags in tow, the two roommates made their way up to the penthouse apartment and were naturally welcomed by a very excitable Harley. Clary dropped her bags instantly to greet him, bringing the traces of a smile to Jace's face. _I'm glad she and Harley get along. I wasn't sure if he'd take to someone so soon after Jordan._

"So how did you end up meeting Alec?" the redhead enquired, releasing the little terrier.

"Our families were friends before we were born so if anything we were destined to be friends. We grew up in California together; I think he knows me better than I know myself sometimes," Jace replied casually, putting the shopping away as he spoke. "He moved away to take an internship, but obviously I've ended up here now so we keep tabs on each other."

"You lived in _Cali_?" Clary seemed incredulous. "What made you come here?"

"I needed a fresh start." he told her simply, unwilling to indulge in any more details about his private life. Admittedly he trusted her and wanted to be transparent with her, but part of him was afraid of how she'd respond. He wasn't sure how many people she knew that had to move across the country to escape their demons.

They finished putting shopping away in silence until Jace whistled Harley over, scooping him up in his arms. "If I'm visiting Alec, Harley comes too. You're welcome to carry him." he offered.

Clary's porcelain face lit up like a firework. "Yes!"

* * *

"Welcome, welcome! Do come in!"

Jace accepted Magnus' invitation and took a step into the house, flanking Clary who was just in front of him with a squirming Harley in her arms. Their host grinned at her. "You _must_ meet our Izzy. She's dying to meet you." he exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm nothing special," Clary laughed warily, allowing Harley to scamper through the house. "Just an art student."

While the two babbled away at the door, Jace took the opportunity to detach himself from the conversation and venture further in. Walking through hallway reminded him of a museum persistently; the walls were decked out in photos. Familiar faces were immortalized on the cream walls, including himself. Naturally, most of the pictures were of Alec, Magnus and - more recently - Eliza. Sometimes it was somewhat unnerving to have hundreds of eyes watching his every move, but today it wasn't bothering him that much.

As he entered the living room, a squeal of "Jace!" greeted him, coupled with a pair of arms flying around him. Jace snorted in amusement and patted her back. "A simple 'hello' would've done the trick, Iz." he told her with a slight dryness to his voice.

Once she tore away from him, her dark eyes appeared to look straight through him. "Where is she, then?" she queried.

"She's a bit waylaid with Magnus currently," Jace replied, smirking. "Wait your turn."

Alec eventually bumbled over with a glass of lemonade in his hand, offering it to Isabelle before turning to his best friend. "Do you want anything to drink, Jace? We're still prepping lunch so it might be a little while yet before you see any food."

"I'm fine thanks." Jace declined politely, though Alec's face wasn't wholly convinced by his declaration.

After a short awkward silence, Magnus suddenly re-entered the room, clapping his hands together in immense excitement. "She's _wonderful_ , Jace!" he exclaimed, his peculiarly amber eyes bright. "You never mentioned she was an _artist_!"

"Artist?" Isabelle's interest peaked immediately, causing Jace to let out a dry cough. "In my defence, we probably spoke to you for about two minutes. That wasn't quite _enough_ time to tell you her life story."

The black haired man brushed off his bitterness with a dazzling smile as a very flushed Clary appeared at his side, her face almost as red as her hair. Isabelle courteously held out her hand towards the petite girl. "Isabelle Lightwood, but you can call me Izzy. I'm Alec's sister." she introduced herself.

"Wait, you're _the_ Isabelle Lightwood?" Clary's jaw hit the ground and probably went through a few layers of the Earth. "Creator of the Mortal Instruments fashion line?"

Isabelle's cherry red lips upturned; she was impressed. "That's me," she confirmed with a chuckle. "I'm working on my second line currently, but I _had_ to meet Jace's new roommate. As you've probably discovered already, he's not the easiest guy to live with."

"Hey!" Jace said indignantly, setting off a chorus of laughs in response.

"Anyway, lunch won't make itself, so we'll go back and deal with that," Alec announced, tugging at Magnus' sleeve to bring him away. "Make yourselves at home. Eliza's probably terrorizing Harley as we speak so somebody might want to keep an eye on them."

"I'm on it, don't worry." Clary offered, smiling reassuringly at Jace as she followed the couple out. With everyone out of earshot, Isabelle turned to him with suspicion crossing her face. "She's not your usual type," she observed with raised eyebrows. "I didn't quite anticipate Jace Herondale living with a giddy ginger artist."

"She's nice and my dog worships the very ground she walks on. That was enough for me," Jace told her honestly. "She's a breath of fresh air and I need that."

"Does she know about Jordan?" she asked softly.

The golden haired boy shook his head vigorously. "I'm intending to keep it that way for a little while longer."

"You can't keep running from this forever, Jace. You'll have to tell her one day," Isabelle explained gravely, stirring her paper straw around her lemonade glass. "Then there's also everything that happened in LA-"

"You don't need to bring it all up again," Jace snapped. "Just stop, okay?"

"Sheesh." Isabelle let out a long whistle but dropped the topic entirely. While she pushed, she knew when she'd crossed the line. It was a trait that Jace was eternally grateful for; without her filter she'd easily scare people away.

If anyone had seen Alec and Izzy together, they wouldn't have immediately figured out they were related. The Lightwood siblings were both tall and raven haired, but the similarities ended there. When he wasn't assuming control of any situations, Alec was more of a boy-next-door type. His little sister, on the other hand, was a bombshell and she knew it. She flaunted her looks at every available opportunity, with her ensemble today consisting of a curve-hugging red bardot playsuit that exposed her long slender calves and strappy black heels that allowed her to tower above most men. Her dark hair tumbled down her back and her makeup was done to perfection, with bright red lipstick and eyeliner sharper than Jace's wits. Contrastingly, Alec wasn't nearly as body-confident. He lived in the same few limited outfits, with some clothes carrying holes or marks of fraying. As a child, he was practically skin and bones - his pale complexion and big baby blue eyes didn't help his case - but over the course of adulthood he now didn't look like he'd be blown over by a gust of wind.

"Uncle Jaaaaceeee! Do you want to play with me?"

Jace smirked as Eliza charged through the house towards him, crouching down to her level as she skidded to a halt in front of him. "What have you got in mind, squirt?" he asked.

She contemplated the question for a moment. "Frisbee!"

"Oh, we _both_ know who's going to win that." Jace told her with a goofy grin.

"Clary said she'd play too!" Eliza pointed out, placing a sassy hand on her hip. Jace had to hold back a laugh. _Oh yeah, definitely learnt that from Magnus._

With the dark haired girl leading the way, Jace followed her into the giant garden at the back of the house. Harley was basking in the sunshine with his belly facing the sky, while Clary was perched on one of the plastic deck chairs. She waved at her roommate with a smile. "So you've been roped into playing too?" she asked.

"Yup," he replied, popping the 'p' sound. "You're going down, Fray."

Her emerald eyes glittered mischievously. "Is that a challenge?"

"You bet your ass it is," With a wink, he was given the red frisbee by Eliza and waved it about, taunting them. "Ready?"

When they both nodded, Jace launched the disc across the length of the garden, sending the two girls into a mad stampede. The game had also caught Harley's attention, who leapt to his tiny paws and bounded after them, barking and yapping non-stop. Once the chase concluded, it was Clary who emerged victorious, pumping the air with her fist. "Champion!"

"The game's only started, dearest Clary. You've only managed to outrun a Jack Russell and a six year old; not exactly anything to be proud of." Jace pointed out smoothly, smirking.

The redhead stuck her tongue out at him and took his place throwing the frisbee, waiting for the three to gather. Once she was satisfied, she threw her arm back and sent the frisbee soaring into the air. Knowing he was faster, Jace slowed his pace down to give Eliza the impression that she had a chance of catching the disc (although secretly Jace knew he had it in the bag).

"Pick up the pace, Herondale!" Clary jeered behind him. "After all, outrunning a child and a dog isn't difficult!"

 _That cheeky bastard!_ he thought to himself, deliberately speeding up. However, as his arm reached out to catch the frisbee, Harley suddenly leapt up, catching it in his teeth. He almost looked satisfied, so Jace shot him a death glare. "So much for man's best friend. You should've let me win."

"You're just jealous." Eliza chipped in, giggling as she gave the terrier a pat on the head.

"In your dreams!" he scoffed, following her back towards Clary, who carried a gloating expression in her eyes. "Guess I'm the true winner here, huh?" she teased.

Jace rolled his golden eyes at her. "It was _one_ time. I'll get this one." he insisted.

After a short hesitation, the black haired girl let the disc go, sending the two roommates and their dog in a frenzy. Jace was immediately in the lead; he wasn't slowing down for _anyone_ in this race, not when his reputation had already been battered by Harley.

They'd run about two thirds of the garden's length when Jace heard a gasp behind him. As this was a competition he didn't think much of it initially, but he regretted that when something crashed into his left side, knocking him off balance and onto the grass on his back. He'd barely been on the ground for a few seconds when a flash of red barreled into him, falling directly onto his stomach. She'd obviously put out her hands to stop herself, but instead of the ground they'd landed on Jace's broad shoulders, her face in his chest. Once she propped herself up, her cheeks flushed. "Sorry." she murmured.

Peculiarly, Jace found himself rendered speechless. Although the whole fiasco had been an accident, it seemed strangely intimate; his roommate was practically straddling him. As far as he was aware, time had come to a halt around them and the only thing he could hear was both of them trying to calm their heavy breathing. Her eyes turned into a calming emerald sea that engulfed him and held him captive. If given the chance, those eyes would be the death of him, his Achilles' heel, his-

"Oi! No sex on my lawn; I only mowed it the other day!"

Magnus's crude shout snapped them both out of their reverie, with Clary instantly gathering herself and getting to her feet. She held out a hand to help Jace up, who took the offer graciously.

"Lunch is ready!" Alec called cheerfully.

As the two roommates re-entered the household, Isabelle smirked at Jace's reddened cheeks. "I think your 'breath of fresh air' just knocked all the air out of you." she whispered in his ear, her gold flecked eyes clearly amused.

Jace just shoved her in response. "Grow up."

* * *

 **Hello, was that a glimmer of Clace? Who knows?**

 **Remember that reviewers will get a cheeky snippet of the next chapter! I'll try to get it ready ASAP! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you for your continued support! It really means a lot!**

 **Still carrying on with my gift of snippets for lovely reviewers. :) (shoutout to the guests who left reviews on the last chapter as I can't PM you, you're still fab)**

* * *

"Can I order two regular margherita pizzas with two portions of wedges please?"

It felt weird ordering for two people again rather than just himself. However, it was also incredibly stressful to order for someone who wasn't there; Jace didn't have the faintest idea about what Clary liked to put on her pizza, so he just ordered the classic. After all, _everyone_ liked margherita, surely?

Once his order was confirmed, Jace thanked the pizza guy and hung up, opening up his messages to key in a quick text to Clary.

 _When you've finished your shift there'll be a surprise waiting for you at home ;)_

With the text gone, he ran a hand through his silky golden curls as he cast his gaze over the apartment. He still had a little while before his red haired roommate (and their pizza) was due to arrive, and with Harley snoring away in the background Jace would have to kill time by himself. When he lived by himself that was easy, but he didn't want Clary to walk in on him having sex with a stranger. As his roommate, he felt he owed her that much.

Eventually, his mind - and his feet - drifted to more innocent distractions, with his favourite sitting by the open glass doors.

From a young age, Jace had always been infatuated with music. While everything in his life had been uncertain, music had been constant and unchanging; when he had a bad day, music would open its arms and soothe him. Yes, at times it definitely frustrated him when he couldn't play pieces correctly, but for the most part he could play piano for days on end if his hands allowed him. Some people would probably let him as well; most of his "odd job" income came from commissions to play at events. He'd done fancy dinners, weddings, parties, funerals... you name it, he'd probably done it. Alec had already approached him about playing at his and Magnus' upcoming wedding reception in a few weeks time and Jace knew he had to nail that, as he'd be playing while the couple took their first dance as a married couple.

Taking to his piano stool, he took a deep breath and hovered his fingers over the keys, processing ideas about songs he could play in his head. His fingers seemed to hit the opening chord for _The End Of All Things_ by Panic! At The Disco, so he opted to play that. It was a piece he could easily pour all his emotions into, and frankly he needed a moment to let everything go. The atmosphere was perfect; the cool night air drifting into the room, the flat completely silent aside from the piano... this was Jace's heaven. Having the doors open probably meant his music was drifting into other people's apartments, but he'd received few noise complaints.

Jace eventually became completely absorbed into the music, so much so that he was oblivious to the world around him. In that moment, the only thing that existed was him and the piano; nothing mattered now. It felt as if a constant weight had been finally lifted off his soul and it felt incredible.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been playing for - maybe twenty or thirty minutes - but he was sucked back into reality by a loud buzzing. Knowing that was someone requesting entrance to the block, Jace paused with a sigh and stood up, plodding over to the cream chord phone on the wall near the door. He picked it up fairly calmly. "Hello?"

"Pizza delivery for Jace Herondale?"

He grinned down the phone. "I'll come to the front door. Two minutes." he told the delivery guy, hanging up and hurrying out of his apartment into the lift. It didn't take him long to reach the ground floor and retrieve his dinner before darting back into the safety of his flat. Dumping the four boxes on the kitchen island, Jace reached down into the cupboard and pulled out a glass to pour himself a drink of orange juice to have with his dinner.

When Clary eventually came home, Jace had finished his pizza and wedges long ago; in fact, he'd even changed into his pyjamas and had returned to the piano. He was throwing everything he had into a complicated section of _Strength Of A Thousand Men_ by Two Steps From Hell when she came in, so he didn't stop to greet her. Instead, he blocked her out and carried on, adamant to get to the end of the song.

Once he drew to a close, he glanced over at Clary, who was gaping at him with her jaw on the ground. He smirked and gestured to himself. "Like what you see?"

The little redhead rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh and approached him, leaning on the grand piano with her elbows. "You play that like you've lost your only love." she observed a little dreamily.

"Fortunately, my one true love happens to be myself." Jace told her pleasantly, closing the piano lid with the gentleness of a mother touching her baby.

"Well, I guess you don't have to worry about rejection." she replied, cocking her head to the side thoughtfully.

"Not necessarily. I turn myself down occasionally, just to keep it interesting," His golden gaze trailed towards the microwave next to the fridge. "Your dinner's in the microwave. You might want to heat it for a few minutes."

While she obtained her surprise, Jace rose from the piano stool and closed the glass doors when the buzzer went off again. Clary rose a quizzical eyebrow. "Are you expecting someone?" she questioned.

"Surprisingly, no," He shared her bewilderment. "Answer it, would you?"

Clary crossed the room in a few swift movements and picked up the phone in her pale hand, lifting it to her ear. "Hi, who is this?"

"Why the fuck are _you_ answering for Jace?" a sickening drunk voice yelled down the other end. _Oh shit._

"I'm his roommate. Who are you?" Clary repeated hesitantly, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I want to talk to Jace, not his secretary!" the voice snapped, prompting Jace to yank the phone into his own grip against his ear. "I'm coming down," he growled, slamming it back into its holder and shooting Clary an apologetic look. "I'm really sorry about this. I'll be two seconds, okay?"

Before his roommate could even utter a word, Jace thundered out of the apartment, throwing the door open and slamming it with the same force. He knew he'd probably frightened the living daylights out of Clary, but he'd have to make it up to her later; all he could see currently was red, and it wasn't the sweet cherry red he associated with his friend.

After pacing back and forth in the lift while waiting to get to the ground floor, Jace stalked across the reception to the glass double doors, butting it open with his shoulder and crossing his arms. "I told you I was busy." he snarled.

A heavily intoxicated Kaelie wobbled in tall strappy silver heels, a heavy black trench coat and a face of thunder. "Who was that _bitch_?" she slurred.

"I'd prefer you not to refer to my roommate in that manner, thank you," Jace replied with a deadly softness to his words. "Go home, Kaelie. I'm definitely not dealing with you in this state; you reek."

"You sure know how to treat a girl." she huffed.

"I'll call you when I'm free, but tonight isn't a good time-"

"Because you're fucking that whore?" Kaelie was screeching at the top of her lungs now; Jace was internally thankful he'd shut the doors in the apartment otherwise Clary would've heard everything. "I've been here for you through _everything,_ and _this_ is how you repay me?"

"We were never serious, Kaelie; I've made that explicitly clear," Jace could taste the bitterness in his voice. "I'll drive you home, but I'm not doing anything else."

She held up a manicured hand, turning away. "Don't touch me!" she screamed, storming away unsteadily. Jace felt somewhat guilty for letting her leave without helping her, but if she wasn't going to accept it then that was her problem. There was nothing he could do for her now.

Turning on his heel, Jace returned back to his apartment, gently clicking the door shut behind him as he took a deep breath. Clary had thrown on the white and blue pinstripe shirt she'd been wearing as pyjamas this morning - the only difference was she'd added pale grey shorts - and was sitting on the sofa with her pizza. Her emerald eyes lifted up to greet him, though they were also tinged with concern. "Did you forget to mention the psycho girlfriend?" she asked.

"Psycho friend with benefits," Jace corrected, his golden eyes shifting over to Harley who was still curled up in his bed. "She likes to think we're dating, but that's not the case."

"I don't understand how you can do that," Clary replied thoughtfully, staring off into space. "I couldn't do casual hookups."

"Well, dearest Clary, when you're blessed with _these_ good looks, you end up with more female attention than you bargain for."

She rose an eyebrow. "What good looks?"

"I can see why Isabelle likes you," he grumbled, plopping himself down in the other sofa. "So, aside from drawing, what else do you like doing?"

The redhead paused from eating momentarily, placing the pizza box on the coffee table as she pondered the question. "I like reading," she said after a while. "Walks are nice too, and karaoke."

"Oh god," Jace cradled his face in his hands as she erupted into pearls of laughter. "We're really not going to get along."

"As _if_ you don't like karaoke!" Clary seemed appalled at the very thought. "Right, one night we're going out, getting absolutely hammered-"

"We most certainly will _not_ ," A newfound seriousness crept into his voice, silencing his roommate's excitement. "I don't dance or drink. I will _never_ drink again, got it?"

She blinked, but didn't say any more on the matter.

* * *

 _"Somebody help!"_

 _"Call 911!"_

 _"Oh my god, is he dead?"_

 _"What's happened here? Did someone see?"_

 _"Please hurry!"_

 _Jace was firmly rooted to the ground, his face harder than stone; if he'd stood still any longer, he would've been mistaken for a statue. Even though there was a crowd amassing a few feet in front of him, he was completely motionless, except the tremor taking over him. He knew he was shaking, but try as he might he couldn't shrug it off._

 _Dropping his eyes, he lifted his trembling hands to inspect them. Blood gloves tipped them, knocking all the air out of his body. He gasped out for air, but nothing came._

 _Droning sirens rang out, leaving Jace to instinctively cover his ears with his hands and not even giv_ _ing a second thought about the blood. He dropped to his knees as blue lights blinked violently at him, flashing on and off intermittently. With the crowd almost doubling in size as they deliberated over the events that had led up to this, Jace took the opportunity to unleash everything inside of him as a scream._

 _He was lost._

* * *

"Jace! Jace!"

He awoke with a start, sweating and breathing frantically as he tried to calm himself down. A gentle hand laid on his quivering shoulder, shushing him. "It's okay, I promise you. Just breathe."

 _Oh no._ This was a side of himself that Jace had wanted to keep to himself a little longer; a side of him that he definitely didn't want Clary to witness so soon. He didn't want her to see him reduced to the crumbling mess he had learnt to mask so expertly.

Once his breathing became less erratic and he was able to sit up properly, he slowly dragging his hands down his face. "What time is it?" he asked coarsely.

"Quarter to five," In the mostly shadowed room Clary pressed a cool glass of water into his hands, which were still twitchy. "You were screaming the house down; I thought you were being killed."

 _I was._ "Sorry I woke you."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "No biggie. I have classes today anyway, may as well stay up now. You can go back to sleep if you want."

"I don't think I'll be able to after _that_." he replied with a shudder, taking a shaky sip of water. " Clary's pale face was wrought with worry. "Does this happen often?" she questioned cautiously, her emerald gaze steady.

"I don't usually have someone waking me up, so this is a first," he admitted. "They're less common now, but I don't come out too well regardless."

"What happens?"

He shook his head vigorously. "Not now, Clary." he insisted.

She seemed anxious but didn't push any further; instead she was silent for a moment until a wave of inspiration crashed over her. "Hey, have you ever made origami?"

Jace was incredulous. "Do you _really_ think my hot bod would spend copious hours folding paper? I'd lose my street cred." he exclaimed, running a still-shaky hand through his tousled hair.

"It's actually really good for mindfulness; if I'm stressed I find it quite therapeutic," Clary said as-a-matter-of-factly, holding a hand out to him. "I'm sure your reputation will still precede you if I showed you what to do. I've got nice paper too."

Heaving an almighty sigh, Jace took her tiny hand in his free one, using her as an anchor to pull himself out of bed. With his feet firmly on the carpet Clary released his hand, but rather than letting her leave he drew his around her, collapsing her against his chest. Her breath hitched, but nonetheless she wrapped her skinny arms tightly around his waist as he stooped slightly so his lips were almost touching the top of her ear. "Thank you." he breathed, drinking in her sweet scent.

She pulled away quickly and extremely flushed. "I'll go and get my paper."

It had taken a little while for him to grasp, but eventually Jace had made a fairly tidy paper crane. Clary seemed impressed. "See? Your hands have stopped shaking as well!" she exclaimed proudly.

He opted not to tell her that his tremor faded when they'd hugged.

* * *

 **Delving a little more into Jace's background here! Where have his night terrors stemmed from?**

 **Yay, more Clace! Obviously Kaelie is a definite issue, but what's to say more won't crop up? ;)**

 **If you drop a review in my direction I'll send you a preview of the next chapter ASAP, though I'm a bit slow because of school and work commitments :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: ARGH SORRY THIS IS SO LATE - had major writer's block and somebody dropped their tablet in the bath so I couldn't really do anything for a couple days... :(**

 **Thanks again for the support! Whether it's a follow or a review, it's awesome to see people enjoying this and I'm happy of how well you seem to be receiving it. :)**

 **As ever, thank you so much to the guests who left reviews on the last chapter as I can't message you!**

 **If you ever have any questions feel free to ask and I'll happily answer them :) remember that reviewers receive previews of the next chapter!**

* * *

With the late summer sun beating down on his back, Jace always had a spring in his step when venturing through Central Park. It was one of his favourite places to walk Harley, even if it was a forty five minute walk from his apartment. The usual routine was simple; walk to the park, hang around there, get the subway home.

It was about lunchtime, meaning it was peak time to head to the famous park. There were a few other dog walkers, but ultimately it was the baby realm. Mothers took advantage of the glorious weather and paraded their little darlings around in plain sight, regardless of how much they screamed. Every so often, random women would approach the new mothers to ogle the precious babes and almost always nudge their partners with all the intention of dropping hints. In those moments, Jace mentally thanked himself for not having an official girlfriend. Parenting wasn't his forté; he liked Eliza, but he certainly didn't like the idea of having his own kids.

Once he found a vacant bench, Jace sat down with a heavy sigh and tied Harley's lead to one of the legs, allowing him to take shelter under the bench if needed. He shrugged off his backpack and zipped it open, pulling out a plastic collapsible grey bowl and a plastic bottle of water. After pouring water into the bowl, Jace gently slid it towards his four legged friend, giving him a scratch behind the ears as he lapped up the liquid. "Good boy."

After a while of just sitting there, Jace pulled his phone out of his bag on hearing a buzz. He quickly unlocked it and noticed a plethora of various notifications. Firstly was a text from Isabelle.

 **We've gotta plan wedding parties ASAP. When are you free?**

As the closest friends to Alec and Magnus, Jace and Isabelle had ended up in charge of planning individual stag dos. It wasn't something Jace had done before, but how hard could it be?

 _Tonight?_

With that dealt with, he moved onto the next text. His stomach twisted when he saw Kaelie's name.

 **Miss you babe xx**

Was she completely deranged? He knew she was bad, but _really_? What gave her the audacity to call him 'babe' after she accused him of sleeping with his roommate? Jace was seething, but he knew that telling her to fuck off wasn't going to solve any of his problems; if anything, he'd have to hire a bodyguard to protect himself.

 _We need to talk._

His third message came from Alec.

 **Magnus and I have dinner reservations tomorrow night, could you babysit Eliza? We can drop her at yours**

 _I'll check with Clary but it shouldn't be a problem. I'm sure Eliza will be more than happy torturing my poor baby for the evening._

"Speak of the devil." Jace mumbled to himself as Clary's contact popped up as the fourth and final message.

 **Hi roomie! Hope you're feeling better! :) My final class has been cancelled because my professor's sick so I'll be heading home in the next hour. Gonna get on with some work so I won't disturb you much, don't worry.**

Jace's heart sunk a bit when he read the last part of her text. What made her think she disturbed him? If anything, he quite enjoyed her company; he'd almost forgotten what living with someone has been like and he was thankful she'd taken up his offer.

 _I'll call off my orgy then ;)_

As the text delivered with a smirk crossing his face, Jace was startled by Alec texting him back.

 **I thought Eliza and Clary got on fine, I'd be more worried about your other 'poor baby'. :)**

 _Did Magnus orchestrate that? You're not quick enough to come up with something like that._

"Your dog is _adorable_! Can I pet him?"

The fair haired man was snapped out of his flustered reverie by a stranger obviously attracted by Harley, who was now leaning against the bench leg with his breath tickling the hairs on Jace's leg. A young Asian woman his age stood before him with wide round dark chocolate eyes fixated on the Jack Russell. She was of a short stature - a few inches taller than Clary - with short black hair reaching halfway down her pale neck. Due to the midday heat, she was standing before him in a baby pink vest and black denim shorts hitting her mid-thigh. After deciding she probably didn't pose any threat to his dog, Jace obliged with a nod. "Sure. He's called Harley."

"Like the bike?" she asked, crouching down to pet his head. Harley growled as soon as she touched him, prompting Jace to step in. "Sorry, he's not too good with strangers," he explained. "And he's actually named after Harley Quinn."

The young woman furrowed her brows in confusion. "Who?"

"Never mind."

She stood up and offered him a dazzling smile. "I'm Aline Penhallow, by the way. Who are you?" she asked sweetly with a purr ripping out of her throat.

"Jace," His mind drifted back to Clary's text. "I'd love to stop and chat, but I've actually got somewhere to be."

"Maybe another time, then?" Aline suggested, batting her dark eyelashes at him. "I'm free _whenever_ you want."

"I'll keep it in mind," Jace replied casually, dropping a playful wink. "See you round."

Once she sauntered off, the young man bent down to untie Harley's leash and collapse the water bowl when he noticed a small slip of white paper tucked under his dog's collar. Jace knew that it hadn't been there earlier, so where had he picked it up from?

Retrieving the paper, he unfolded it and realised there was a note on it.

 _(518)-555-0176 - Aline x_

Jace smirked once he finished reading, pocketing the note in his rucksack. _This could be interesting._

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want me to help you cook?" Isabelle asked for what was probably the seventh time. "I'm getting quite good now."

Jace rolled his tawny eyes with a scoff, knowing that he was protected by the fact his back was turned to the hob. "I'm quite alright, thank you. Spaghetti bolognese isn't _particularly_ challenging."

She leaned her back against the marble countertop, taking a swig of orange juice from the glass in her hand. "Suit yourself," she replied, her dark eyes exploring the apartment. "Are those _flowers_ outside?"

"Clary wanted to get some hanging baskets for the roof. I was totally against it, so we compromised and we got hanging baskets," he explained glumly, not taking his eyes off his bolognese. "I drew the line at scented candles."

Isabelle let out a loud snort of amusement. "They're very _you_ , Jace. Now I think about it, a crochet quilt would _really_ finish the look you're -"

"That smells good."

Jace's eyes snapped up and over to the other side of the apartment when a new voice cut Isabelle off. Clary had emerged from her bedroom for the first time all evening, tightening the messy bun on top of her head. She was clad in a slightly oversized baby blue button up shirt with light grey yoga shorts peeking out underneath and dark grey socks adorned with colourful dinosaurs climbing up a few inches past her ankles. Had it been anyone else, Jace would've assumed she had a hangover, but this was Clary; this was her in her purest and most natural form. As her roommate, he had to embrace it, so he offered her a token smirk. "Nice socks, Shortcake."

The redhead sensibly chose not to rise above his remark. "Do you need help plating up? I can drain the pasta for you or something." she offered politely.

"Be my guest," he replied, gesturing to the large pot of spaghetti. "Careful though, you're probably not much taller than this pot."

"Fuck you." she said sweetly, blowing him a kiss as she plodded over to the hob. Naturally, she picked up the pot with no difficulty - sticking her tongue out at Jace as she went - and seamlessly drifted over to the sink to drain the pasta. As her back was turned, Isabelle made a crude gesture at Jace that insinuated something beyond his relationship with Clary as roommates, which earned her a swift kick in the shin and golden daggers shot in her direction. " _Behave._ " he hissed furiously under his breath.

Clary whirled her head round towards them, blinking in sheer bewilderment. "Everything okay?" she queried.

"Oh yeah, everything's _banging_." Isabelle insisted with a wicked smile, her innocent voice masking her very non-innocent ideas. Jace, on the other hand, wasn't too easily fooled and elbowed her sharply in the side when Clary turned back round.

"How's your party planning going?" Jace's roommate asked after a few seconds, putting the drained pasta on the side as Jace started plating it with the bolognese.

"I think we're getting there, but they're not exactly easy people to plan things for," the raven haired girl confessed. "Alec would rather stay at home and sleep than go out partying, while Magnus thrives off flamboyancy and glitter; there's no happy medium."

Clary bit her lip thoughtfully, taking her dinner plate once Jace had finished. "What have you got so far?" she pressed on.

"We're making a list of tame activities for Alec and trying not to blow the budget on Magnus," Jace answered, sitting down at the dinner table to eat. "We're talking confetti, food, balloons, strippers-"

" _No_ strippers." Isabelle interjected sharply, a serious expression clouding her pale face.

"You're no fun," Jace whined with a huff before turning to Clary. "I don't suppose you know of any vanilla things we can do for Alec? You're pretty lame sometimes."

"Says the _monster_ who doesn't like karaoke," Clary grumbled, though she did actually consider the question. "Pottery class?"

Her roommate scoffed loudly and folded his arms over his chest. "He's celebrating his wedding, not his 70th birthday."

She glared at him fiercely while he was thankful looks couldn't kill. "Theme park?"

"Now you're branching into a 7th birthday party."

Her emerald eyes darkened dangerously. "Surely this should come from _you_? You're his best friend; you should know what he's in to rather than insulting my suggestions and distracting me from my work." she remarked dryly.

Jace shrugged nonchalantly. "Alec's difficult when it comes to parties, plus your suggestions were stupid."

"Laser tag?"

Jace paused to actually take in the notion. The idea of him running around in a dark room shooting his friends actually sounded fun, especially when he knew that he'd easily win. Being gifted with incredible accuracy was a true blessing in this situation; what stag party would be complete without humiliating the groom beyond repair?

Isabelle also seemed to approve of the idea as the corners of her lips upturned. "That's actually a really good idea." she said.

Clary heaved an almighty sigh, leaning back in her chair. "Finally."

They continued to eat their dinner in peace (which Jace had to admit tasted pretty good) until they finished, where Isabelle rose from her seat. "Well, I'll have to love and leave you both, I'm afraid. I've got some work to get on with," she explained, glancing over at Clary. "Pleasure as always, Clary. We definitely need to go out one night without this moron."

"I'd like that, actually." the redhead replied warmly.

"See you round," Isabelle called as she opened the door. "You too, Jace!"

Once the door slammed behind her, Clary fist pumped the air victoriously. "Oh man, wait until I tell my mom that Isabelle Lightwood wants to be _friends_ with me!" she exclaimed brightly.

Jace turned to put the plates in the dishwasher, smiling to himself. Her idolising of one of his best friends was equal parts funny and cute. "Well, you can also tell your mom that you're babysitting her niece tomorrow night. Alec and Magnus have dinner reservations somewhere so we've been asked to look after Eliza." he added.

His roommate's freckled face lit up in delight. "Awesome!" she cheered, though she suddenly stood up from her chair. "I'm going to continue working. If you need anything, just knock."

He offered her a rare genuine smile. "Thank you."

With a small nod, she wandered back across the flat to her bedroom. Unbeknownst to her, Jace watched her leave, his golden gaze tracing every delicate step she made on the wooden floor. Peculiarly, he wasn't physically able to tear away from her and return to the dishwasher, which in turn set his stomach in motion. _She'll be the death of me,_ he reflected privately. _I am so screwed._

* * *

 **Our roommates are on babysitting duty next chapter! Anything could happen... ;)**

 **What do you think of Aline? Naturally she'll crop up again; what affect will she have?**

 **If you take the time to write a review I'll get an extract from the next chapter to you ASAP :)**


End file.
